Blog & Inspiration

Wearables are topic number one in the IT world at the moment. In particular, smart watches can do a lot. The question is whether the applications will be used. While many manufacturers overload their devices with features which only a few end users find use for, Blocks has chosen another path.

Some products are just design icons. They are unbelievably beautifully and elegantly shaped, and just as simple as practical in their functionality. They have the stuff of classics - just like Lumio. Is it a book? A fan? Or an accordion? Neither nor, it is an LED lamp. The Lumio Book Lamp looks like an elegant hardback book when closed. When opened, the ‘pages’ of the book unfurl as if by magic into a fan sculpture with bright, warm light.

When hotelier Greg Marsh was on his way home after work in London one evening in 2009, his route took him through the residential area of the luxurious district of Mayfair. Everything looked as always. Despite this, he had the feeling that something was not quite right. Suddenly he saw daylight - namely that there was no light. All these wonderful large houses were dark. There was hardly anybody at home, the residents were all out somewhere or were completely out of town. Their flats and houses in the middle of one of the most exciting cities were virtually empty.

At the beginning of November the most well-known secret agent once again reported to her Majesty for duty. In ‘Spectre’, James Bond is on the hunt for criminals again. This time in a very special service vehicle: the Aston Martin DB10. Aston Martin and James Bond have been coming together for more than 50 years. 007 drives an Aston Martin in 12 of the 24 Bond films to date. In 1964 Sean Connery climbed into the British sports car for the first time in ‘Goldfinger’, driving curves at breakneck speed through the Swiss Alps.  In the novel which inspired the film ‘Goldfinger’, author Ian Fleming had his protagonist drive an Aston Martin DB mark III, but as the company had introduced the DB5 in 1963, the new model was chosen and the DB5 became an automobile legend. 

Alban Michon feels at home in a world of rugged, sharp-edged ice floes, glittering mountains of snow and endless, blue deep sea waters. The French adventurer and explorer has passionately devoted himself to the polar region and to diving underneath the ice. He has swum under the geographical North Pole and travelled over 1,000 kilometres along the coast of Greenland with a kayak.

When things do not work, it frustrates every one of us – as design engineers, we do something about it – it’s all about inventing and improving products,” said James Dyson, inventor and founder of the iconic home appliances company Dyson from England. Whether it be vacuum cleaners, fans or hair dryers – Dyson products have cult status.

At Cape Lindesnes, on the southernmost mainland point of Norway, where the rough waves of the North Sea break on the rocks, a huge concrete monolith slides into the sea and sinks below the surface. It is a building that fits perfectly into the rocky archipelago landscape. Here, “Under” is being built, the first underwater restaurant in Europe and one of the largest in the world.

The highly qualified men of the “210^th Rescue Squadron” headquartered in Anchorage, Alaska, are specialised in carrying out rescue operations and extreme salvages in the toughest, most remote and most hostile corners of the globe. These men are on constant standby to use their competencies and skills to save human lives. They’re also known under the abbreviation PJs – short for Parajumpers. In 2006, after an encounter with a “PJ” in a bar in Anchorage, fashion designer Massimo Rossetti was inspired to create his “Masterpieces”, and to establish, together with the Italian company Ape S.p.A., the Parajumpers brand.

The latest iteration of the Phantom is being celebrated as the world’s best car. It is the symbol of a reinterpretation of the ‘Architecture of Luxury’. What makes it so special is the unique, high-end design of the interior, the brainchild of the Rolls-Royce design team in collaboration with contemporary artists from all over the world. The Phantom is a travelling museum and an art repository. These luxury cars are expected to increase many times in value within just a few years.  Once again, Rolls-Royce has demonstrated its sense of innovative master-class design.

Like a mirage, white buildings float on the sea – in the desert of Abu Dhabi. Under the glare of the sun, shadows dance on the water, and to compensate for the merciless desert heat, we find cooling shade beneath the gigantic vault of the ‘Dome’. With the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a world has been created that harmonises light and shadow, reflection and rest. The design of this innovative building intends to belong to this desert land, its history, its geography, but without being a simple translation, a pleonasm that leads to boredom and convention. The aim here is to underscore the fascination of rare encounters, which was the aspiration of the Louvre Abu Dhabi, a structure that ranks as one of the most challenging museum projects in recent years.

Who isn’t familiar with stress at work, stress in everyday life and then the added stress during your spare time with countless possibilities and offers. Anti-stress recommendations and relaxation exercises are booming, but when do you have the time for those? Ramon Telfer and cofounder Alex Johnson have developed a unique product and a simple solution, the Calmingstone. It’s the perfect companion against increasing stress levels for everyday business life in particular.

Superyachts dominate the oceans of this planet with their exuberant luxury, fascinate with their aura and their jaunty elegance keeps one breathless. Just a handful of prestigious manufacturers know this precious trade and are able to give birth to mesmerising designs of the superlative. One of them is Rossinavi. Behind the name lies the story of the Tuscan yacht manufacturer who is one of the world’s leading builders of custom superyachts.

A gigantic golden chimney catches your eye as soon as you step foot into the lobby of the recently opened Roomers Hotel in Munich. The atmosphere is modern and cosy at the same time, like a chic, large living room. The design and lifestyle hotel was opened in time for this year’s Oktoberfest, not from the Theresienwiese. The hotel is the Gekko Group’s third Roomers by Micky Rosen and Alex Urseanu. The two visionaries from Frankfurt celebrate indulgence and the quality of life, which immediately becomes apparent in the first Roomers Hotel in the banking metropolis, a luxurious place seemingly made for rock stars with its dark and masculine design. The second style icon, the Roomers in Baden-Baden, was added last October. Italian levity dominates here, everything is flooded with light, and in comparison to the Frankfurt building, its design is almost puristic.

No goal seems out of reach, no victory is enough for him. Always on, always better, always more. This dive made Herbert Nitsch the 33-time world record holder in freediving and the Deepest Man On Earth. Thirty-two of these records are set in all eight recognised disciplines – unparalleled achievements in freediving history. He exceeded his own record in the no-limit discipline several times, reaching a depth of an incredible 253 metres. A man who fascinates and goes to his personal limits and beyond for victory.

The bitter cold, uninhabited areas, spectacular snapshots – when searching for a unique subject, Chris Burkard not only overcomes his own borders, but also those of traditional surf photography. He shares his experiences with millions of people worldwide, taking his audience with him on a journey into unknown worlds. His images and visions are inspiring, encouraging viewers to tap into unexplored potential through borderline experiences. Each one of his trips is a challenge with the aim of overcoming what is familiar.

As soon as you enter the huge atrium, you stop involuntarily. My initial gaze wanders an unbelievable 33 metres up the massive concrete tubes. Here you can really feel space, the atmosphere is vibrant, like in a cathedral. My second look is at a giant dragon floating in space. Nicholas Hlobo’s archaic-looking bird is the first piece of art you encounter at the impressive new Zeitz MOCAA Museum in Cape Town. After nearly ten years of planning, the V&A Waterfront has opened Africa’s first and the world’s largest museum of contemporary African art.

Counting steps and calories, analysing sleep and monitoring fitness levels – fitness trackers are the mega trend of recent years. Although the devices have become slimmer and increasingly personalisable, they can still be identified as such immediately. While they normally aren’t a problem at the gym or while jogging, the fitness armbands are usually replaced by watches or suitable jewellery for business outfits or smart evening wear. The British company Bellabeat has identified this gap in the market and developed a smart accessory called “Leaf” that is not only optically appealing, but which also discreetly and reliably gathers data.

We stop on a dusty road in Tulum, Mexico, in front of a high fence of planks and palm leaves. This is actually where the hotel Casa Malca should be, but we cannot find a sign or a driveway. Apparently great value is placed on privacy. Suddenly, the reed fence opens and a security guard lets us enter. We find ourselves in a paradise coconut grove with powder-white sand, you can hear the rush of the Caribbean Sea. This is Casa Malca, an estate around which many rumours are entwined.

Tricia Guild is said to be the only interior designer who can design a cobalt blue sofa without it looking silly. With her colourful designs, she acts almost completely outside the fashion and trend world - rather, she is her own trend. She has been in the design business for almost 50 years, has published numerous books on interior design, and is considered an icon of colours and patterns. In this interview she tells us how she started her company Designers Guild in early 1970 with first ideas and a few fabrics on London’s King’s Road and why she cannot imagine a life without colours.

Bees hum and it smells of thyme. A group of geese waddles across the path and moves towards the pond, unimpressed by the breathtaking panorama of the Simonsberg. We are in South Africa, in the famous Western Cape wine region just outside Cape Town. Here are the most famous wineries in the country and the refuges of numerous wealthy South Africans and international wine lovers. One of the most beautiful historic farms in the typical “Cape Dutch style” is Babylonstoren near Paarl, about 40 kilometres from Cape Town.

Tyler Bradt paddles calmly down the River Palouse in Washington in his kayak. The trees move slowly past him, the water is calm and drives him gently forward. As if by magic, the water suddenly becomes a torrential river that storms the red kayak until the abyss opens in the immediate vicinity. The strong tearing of the waterfall is not to be missed and suddenly the kayak disappears on the horizon and falls 58 metres into the depths. But all this is no coincidence, because Tyler Bradt is contending with the most important kayak ride of his life.